* Our film festival awards over $50,000 in prizes annually.
* One of the leading smartphone film festivals in the world
* Festival Ambassadors include Phillip Noyce, Kriv Stenders, Kerry Armstrong, Nicole da Silva, Christopher Stollery, Pieter de Vries, Kara Rose and Emily Prior.
* Selected films will screen at our live festival in Sydney, Australia and in our Online Festival at SF3 2024 happening November 2024.
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SF3 - the SmartFone Flick Fest is Australia’s international smartphone film festival and one of the leading and most innovative film festivals in the world.
Open to filmmakers of all ages from every country; from first-time filmmakers to professionals and from kids, tweens and teens all the way to adults. As long as your film is shot entirely on a smartphone or tablet, your film is eligible for submission. Our 2023 Festival Ambassadors were Hollywood legend Phillip Noyce, Kerry Armstrong, Christopher Stollery, Kriv Stenders, Nicole da Silva, Jason van Genderen, Anthony Kierann, Pieter de Vries, disability advocate Emily Prior, and First Nations Director/Writer, Darlene Johnson. Our esteemed judging panel consists of the cream of the Australian and Hollywood film industries all here to celebrate mobile and tablet filmmaking.
We have 5 categories in 2023. They are:
1. The SF3 Best Film for short films 20 mins and under. The films must be entirely shot on smartphones or tablets, with the exception that a very minimal amount of Drone footage is allowed. The films can be edited on any device and with any program and external equipment like lenses and mics can be used. Within this category we will also award the #FILMBREAKER Award for first-time filmmakers and the Luma Touch Finished on Mobile Award for films both shot and edited on a mobile device as additional prizes. The Official Selection from this category will be screened in our 2023 Gala Finals and will vie for our top prizes.
2. The SF3 Best Feature Film. This is for feature films shot entirely on smartphones and tablets. A minimal amount of drone footage is allowed. Films must be from 40 mins and no maximum.
3. The SF3 Kids Award for filmmakers 16 and under at the time of filming. All films must be shot entirely on smartphones and tablets. A minimal amount of drone footage is allowed. The time limit is up to 10 mins. Longer kids film that are really fantastic and justify being longer will be accepted with permission from us at sf3@sf3.com.au
4. The SF360 Award for 360, AR and VR videos and films up to 20 mins.
5. The SF3 Mini Mobile Award is for films up to a maximum of 3 minutes in length, in any genre.
Everyone has a great idea for a short film and a potential movie camera in their pocket, so no excuses. Here’s your chance to start filming and be in the running to share in over $50,000 worth of prizes awarded annually, and have your film screened on one of Australia's premiere screens in front of a global audience at our 2023 Festival next November plus at SF3 Online Virtual Festival.
Our finalist films and winning feature films will be selected from all the entries to screen at SF3 2023. We will be holding live screenings and awards in Sydney, Australia and our festival will include live screenings, red-carpet events, VIP party, networking events, panel discussions and masterclasses. SF3 2023 will be held live in Sydney in November and for 2 weeks online. Exact dates TBC.
Our 2022 Festival was held in full venue partnership with The Actors Centre Australia in their beautiful state of the art cinema in the cultural hub of Leichardt in the Inner West of Sydney. Our 2021 Festival was pushed to early 2022 due to an ongoing lockdown in Sydney and was held in partnership with Palace Chauvel Cinemas and the Actors Centre Australia. In 2019 and 2020, SF3 was held at Event Cinemas, George St, right in the heart of Sydney, Australia. We were one of the few festivals to go live in 2020 in a sell-out Sydney show! Our 2018 Gala Finals were also a complete sell-out at the Sydney Opera House and our SF3 Kids and Shortlist Screenings were held at Event Cinemas Bondi Junction. From 2015-2018 we held our Gala Finals at the iconic art deco Chauvel Cinema in Paddington, Sydney. We are passionate advocates for the showcasing of the best smartphone films from all around the world, show up on Sydney's top big screens.
Many of our past Gala and other finalist films have been invited to screen around the world at our partner film festivals including the International Mobil Film Festival in San Diego, MINA, the Dublin Smartphone Film Festival and more. The opportunities are endless for cellphone filmmakers and 2021 entries have even been sold to streaming networks and in-flight entertainment channels.
All films MUST be shot entirely on a smartphone or tablet, meet our time requirements and you can use any editing software, apps and phone additions, and you can edit on a PC, laptop, tablet or your phone. To enter SF3 you can shoot on any mobile device: iPhone, iPad, Samsung, Oppo, Huawei or more.
So, pull your phone out of your pocket and start filming, it really is that easy!
SF3 film festival is proud to award over $50,000 worth of prizes from our amazing sponsors including prize packs from our our Major Sponsors - Luma Touch & Filmic Pro Silver partners Melodie & Accounting Heart, our Bronze Partners - Chicken & Chips Casting, Old Kempton Distillery, Polar Pro, Rubber Monkey & NIDA and prize partners Shotlister, Ink Tip, Final Draft, Screen Actors Workshop, Power Productions and Story Board Quick, the Australian Cinematographer's Society, Screen Producers Australia, the Australian Writer's Guild, Zacuto, SPA, iPitch TV, Ribbet, AFI/AACTA, Dolby, Backstage, AGSC, Star Now, Film Local, Spineless Wonders & the Actors Centre Australia as well as leading industry mentorships.
Prizes awarded: In 2024 we will be offering over 35 Awards across our 5 screenings. Here is the breakdown of awards across each screening each with a prize pack from our sponsors. Annually we give away over $50,000 worth of prizes from our generous partners including memberships, apps, lenses, microphones, classes, mentorships, a brand new iPhone and iPad and soo much more.
THE SF3 GALA AWARDS celebrating the best in smartphone filmmaking:
SF3 Best Film Award
SF3 People’s Choice Award
SF3 Best Director Award
SF3 Best Cinematography Award
SF3 & ACS Best Cinematography Runner-Up Award
SF3 Best Screenplay Award
SF3 Best Documentary Award
SF3 Best Editing Award
SF3 Best Original Score Award
SF3 Best Actress Award
SF3 Best Actor Award
SF3 & Luma Touch Finished on Mobile Award (for films both shot and edited on a mobile device)
SF3 & WIFT NSW Best Female Creative Award
SF3 First Nations Award supported by Dolby (for films made by a filmmaker that identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander)
SF3 Community & Diversity Award (for a film that is either shot by or that is about and features stories, creatives, filmmakers and actors from under-represented communities such as the LGBTQIA+ community, First Nations, Indigenous and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander filmmakers and more.)
SF3 Founders’ Flick Pick
#FILMBREAKER Award (for the most promising first-time and/or emerging filmmaker)
SF3 & Spineless Wonders Best Adaptation Awards ( one award for the author of the winning Micro Fiction and the second for the filmmaker)
SF3 Chicken & Chips Casting Award
SF3 Gala Finalists
SF3 KIDS celebrating the best mobile and tablet filmmaking by children, tweens and teens
SF3 Kids Best Film Award High School
SF3 Kids Best Film Award Primary School
SF3 Kids Best Director Award
SF3 Kids Best Cinematography Award
SF3 Kids Best Screenplay Award
SF3 Kids Best Editing Award
SF3 Kids Best Documentary Award
SF3 Kids Best Actor Award
SF3 Kids Best Actress Award
SF3 Kids Finalists
SF3 MINI Mobile Award for micro films 3 mins or less shot on cellphones
SF3 Mini Best International Film
SF3 Mini Best Australian Film
SF3 Mini Highly-Commended Awards x4
SF3 Mini Finalists
SF3 FEATURE FILM for smartphone feature films
SF3 Best Feature Film Award
SF3 Feature Film Finalists
SF3 & MINA Film Festival Official Selection Films